Pressure Vessel Head

A pressure vessel head,also known as vessel end,dished end or tank head,is an essential end closure component welded on both ends of a cylindrical pressure vessel shell.It seals the container body,withstands internal pressure,high temperature and medium corrosion,and maintains overall structural safety of the whole equipment.With reasonable curved surface design,pressure vessel heads effectively disperse stress and avoid concentrated stress damage compared with flat plate ends.

According to different curved shapes,structural parameters and pressure-bearing performance,pressure vessel heads are mainly divided into four common types,which are widely selected according to working pressure,temperature,medium and installation requirements.

Main Types of Pressure Vessel Head

1.Hemispherical Head

It is formed by an integral half-spherical curved surface with uniform radius.It has the most ideal stress distribution among all heads.Under the same diameter and pressure,it requires the minimum wall thickness,with excellent high pressure resistance and fatigue performance.However,it features complex forming process and relatively high manufacturing cost.It is mainly applied to high-pressure and ultra-high pressure vessels,large storage tanks and petrochemical reactors.

2.Ellipsoidal Head(2:1 Elliptical Head)

The standard 2:1 axis ratio elliptical curved surface is globally recognized as the most practical head type.It achieves perfect balance between structural strength,stress performance and production cost.It has smooth stress transition,good pressure resistance and moderate processing difficulty.It is the most widely used head in medium and high pressure fields,such as heat exchangers,chemical reactors and industrial pressure tanks.

3.Dished Head(Torispherical Head/F&D Head)

Composed of spherical crown,toroidal knuckle and straight flange.It is easy to manufacture,low in cost and shallow in overall shape.Although stress concentration exists at the knuckle area,it fully meets the requirements of low and medium pressure working conditions.It is extensively adopted for general storage tanks,atmospheric vessels and ordinary industrial containers.

4.Flat Head

It is a simple flat circular plate structure.With simplest production and lowest cost,it bears poor pressure performance and obvious stress concentration.It is mostly used for small vessels,manholes and low-pressure auxiliary structures.

Available Materials

We supply pressure vessel heads in various materials including carbon steel(Q245R,Q345R,SA516 Gr70,P265GH),stainless steel(304,316L,321,310S,904L),alloy steel,titanium and nickel-based alloys to adapt to different corrosive,high temperature and special working conditions.

Manufacturing&Inspection

Our heads are produced through hot pressing,cold pressing and integral spinning forming.Complete post-processing procedures include stress relief heat treatment,dimensional calibration,and non-destructive testing(RT,UT,MT,PT)to guarantee quality.

Applicable Standards

ASME Section VIII,EN 13445,DIN 28011,DIN 28013,GB/T 25198

Applications

Pressure vessel heads are extensively applied in petroleum,chemical industry,power generation,pharmaceutical,food processing,water treatment,new energy and other industrial fields,matching with reactors,storage tanks,boilers,heat exchangers and all kinds of sealed pressure equipment.